The Day of the Entity
by Radi Berra
Summary: Marle's bitterness toward the holiday season leads a disheartened Crono to discover the one thing Marle wants most. oneshot


_This is a Chrono Trigger one-shot holiday-related fic I wrote for a contest on DeviantArt. It's obviously CroMar because they're married, you know? I also wrote this right after finals week and no sleep, so hopefully it makes some sense. It did in my head. Anyway, enjoy. :)_

---

Snow blanketed the small town of Truce. It swirled around the small homes, covering the roofs and swarming the few brave souls that dared venture outside in the cold. The lights from the houses were barely a flicker through the thick frost that coated the windows.

_Like a snowglobe._

Marle had been gazing at her town through her bedroom window in the Guardia Castle. The scene of the village, so pure and white with snow, was almost surreal to her. It was as if there was a dome covering the town, with some invisible entity shaking it every so often to achieve the desired snowfall effect.

But this sight was far from soothing to Marle.

Every year, when the snow began to fall and the air became cold, the people in the Kingdom of Guardia celebrated a holiday of thanks and good will, praising the Entity for its continued help in preserving the peace in the kingdom. To Marle, it was less like a season of thanks and good will than a commercialized season where the Entity was all but forgotten while people stuffed their faces and bought expensive gifts for their friends and families. When the wind began to chill and the snow began to fall, Marle could not help but begin to dread the coming holiday.

Regardless of her growing trepidations, she found the Castle of Guardia in full decorating swing as she entered the main hallway. Knowing full well who was behind this fervor, she searched for him through the dozens of people draping tinsel on the staircase banisters, erecting large fir trees in the most random of places, and, much to her disdain, dangling mistletoe every few feet. Finally, she spotted the mess of red hair and shoved her way through a group of people arguing about where the latest fir tree should go. As she came to a halt, she crossed her arms and gave him a very stern look.

Crono, who had been too busy hanging mistletoe to notice her approach, finally turned and caught sight of her. He smiled brightly as he stepped down from the chair he was standing on.

"Oh, hey Marle…" his voice trailed off as he caught sight of her folded arms and vicious glare.

"Crono," Marle said, rather crossly.

"Er… is something wrong?" Crono asked sheepishly, the smile slipping off his face.

"_What_, may I ask, are you doing?"

"I'm… decorating the castle for the holidays, of course…"

"Is that mistletoe?" Marle asked, nodding at the bundle in Crono's hands.

"Yes," Crono said, puzzled.

"Then yes, there is a problem," Marle replied.

"…could I ask why?"

"I'm _allergic_ to mistletoe, that's why," Marle said crossly.

The entire hall went silent.

"Also, the Chancellor is creepy," Marle added.

The silence was more pronounced this time around.

Crono opened his mouth to ask why the Chancellor was creepy and what that had to do with mistletoe anyway, but decided at the last second that he didn't really want to know after all, and closed his mouth.

"So take the mistletoe down," Marle said. "And it had better be gone by the time I get back from my walk."

She stalked off, carefully edging around the dangling mistletoe, snatched up a cloak that was hanging on a chair, and headed out the front gate.

Crono exchanged glances with one of the decorators.

_Well, this is odd,_ he mused. His normally optimistic and spunky wife was acting uncharacteristically bitter today…

---

"Chancellor."

The Chancellor glanced up from his book as the red-haired prince burst into the room, looking both worried and flustered.

"Yes?" the Chancellor said, setting down the book with a sigh.

"I look everywhere in this enormous castle and I finally find you in the library? Really? The one place in this castle I've never been…" At the Chancellor's irritated expression, Crono quickly reached the point. "Anyway, I have a question… about Marle."

"What about her?" the Chancellor asked, sitting up straighter.

Crono took a deep breath. "Does she not like the Day of the Entity?"

The Chancellor rolled his eyes and settled back in his chair. "Is that what you interrupted me for?"

"I'm sorry, but it's really important to me," Crono pleaded.

"Well, in that case… no, she doesn't."

Crono waited.

The Chancellor picked up his book again and resumed his reading.

"Is that all you have to say? No?" Crono said in frustration.

"You asked, I answered," the Chancellor replied vaguely, flipping the page. "Anything else?"

Crono threw up his hands. "Yes! I was hoping you would answer _why_ she hates the Day of the Entity!"

"Look, if you wanted me to specify, you should have asked," the Chancellor said idly.

Crono took a deep breath and counted to ten in his head. "Chancellor… _why_ does Marle hate the Day of the Entity?"

The Chancellor set his book down again. "See? That was simple enough, wasn't it?"

Crono scowled.

"Anyway," the Chancellor went on, "the reason that Princess Nadia dislikes the Day of the Entity is because when she was a young child, her mother, Queen Aliza, became very ill and passed away, coincidentally on the Day of the Entity."

Crono's scowl gave way to a downcast expression. "So she associates the holiday with her mother's death… no wonder she doesn't like it… thanks, Chancellor. Have fun reading that romance novel of yours."

He hurried out of the room. He had an idea to make Marle's Day of Entity a little less painful. And it all started with his best friend Lucca and her father Taban.

---

It was the afternoon before the Day of the Entity. The castle was lavishly decorated with garland and tinsel (for the mistletoe had, per Marle's request, been removed). Trees decorated in ribbons and lights were standing in every hall. The smell of cinnamon and apple floated upstairs from the kitchen through every room. Maids speculated loudly and cheerfully about the gifts they would be getting from their significant others as they set the enormous dining table for the next day's feast. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits.

Everyone except the princess.

She had left the castle early in the morning, before her husband had awoken, to clear her thoughts. She had become wearier as the holiday season approached, and now that her least favorite day of the year had nearly arrived, she had become more depressed.

Every year since her mother's death, King Guardia had bought his young daughter countless gifts – dolls, clothes, games, even her very own hunting crossbow; each gift more expensive than the last – only to discover that the only thing Marle really wanted was to see her mother again. No gift could make her as happy as having her mother with her once more.

The wind blew bitterly cold as she walked through the Truce village square. She pulled her cloak closer to her body as she trekked through the snow. Despite the bitter cold, there were several bundled up children playing in the square. A few of them were building a rather lopsided snowman, the others trying to peg one another in the face with tightly packed snowballs. Marle couldn't help but smile as a small girl nailed a young boy square in the side of the head with a particularly large snowball. The little girl took off running, laughing, as the angry boy gave chase.

Chuckling to herself, Marle continued to cross the square. She was freezing; maybe a hot cup of cider would warm her up, she decided. She entered the nearby pub and sat at the bar.

"What can I do for you, m'lady?" the barkeep asked cheerfully.

"Could I please have a cup of hot cider?" Marle asked, pulling off her cloak and setting it on the stool next to her.

"Certainly!"

As the barkeep rummaged around for a pot in which to heat the cider, Marle took a look around the small pub. There was a roaring fire in the stone fireplace. The tables nearest the fire were the most crowded, and they were mainly filled with what appeared to be couples. She turned back to the bar. Seeing these couples made her feel terrible about how rude she had been toward Crono for the past week – first snapping at him for wanting to decorate the castle, then ignoring him completely, no matter how kind he had been toward her.

"Marle!"

Marle looked up again in surprise. A purple-haired woman wearing a horrible orange cloak was running toward her from across the pub.

"Lucca!"

Marle jumped up and embraced her friend warmly.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" Lucca said, looking at Marle fondly.

"I know," Marle said with a sad smile. "I haven't seen you since the wedding! You know you're welcome to come over any time you'd like, don't you?" She motioned for Lucca to sit on the unoccupied stool next to hers as the barkeep handed Marle her cider. Marle thanked him and turned back to Lucca.

"Yeah… I just have a difficult time leaving Dad to do all the work, you know?" Lucca said, plopping on the stool. "Especially with the holiday and all. So many people want Dad to make stuff for them that I'm worried he won't get it all done without my help. I just needed a break, so I came here," she added with a laugh. She looked around. "Say, where's Crono?"

Marle felt the twinge of guilt again. "He's back at the castle, getting ready for tomorrow."

Lucca finally noticed the sadness in Marle's face. "What's wrong?"

Marle hesitated. What _was_ wrong? Her husband loved the Day of the Entity and she hated it? "I'm… not really sure… I've been really rude to Crono for the whole season… and all he's been is cheerful and loving."

Lucca nodded. "I've known Crono for as long as I've been alive, and if there's one thing I know about him, it's that he loves the Day of the Entity. And it's not just because he gets showered with gifts from his mom, but because he loves to give back. He's always gone out of his way to help people and make them happy." Lucca went into deep thought for a moment and chuckled. "I remember one year, he tried to help my dad build a machine that would help trim the grass in my yard in half the time it usually takes. The end result was that the yard had enormous ruts in it until my dad could go fill the holes with dirt." She laughed so loudly that people in the pub turned to stare at her. "I guess it worked – we didn't have to trim the grass for a while!"

Marle laughed along with her. The mere image in her mind of Crono trying to trim the lawn with an enormous machine that clearly had other plans than to trim the lawn was enough to cheer her up tremendously.

"Lucca, I'm so glad I had the chance to talk to you," Marle said, standing up and pulling her cloak back on.

"Same here," Lucca said. "I will see you at the feast tomorrow night!"

"Great!" Marle handed the barkeep a handful of gold, waved Lucca goodbye, and headed back out the door.

---

"Marle! Where have you been?"

These were the first words out of Crono's mouth when Marle stepped inside the castle, shaking snow off her boots.

"I was out for a walk," she said, confused at how distressed he looked.

"You were gone for hours, I was worried…" Crono rushed over and wrapped Marle in a tight hug, which she was unable to return due to her arms being pinned at her sides.

"I'm all right, I promise," Marle said into his shoulder in a muffled voice.

"You're freezing, let's get you warmed up," Crono said, finally releasing her and walking her up the stairs to the warm library. "How far did you go, anyway?"

"Well, I met Lucca-"

"You went to Lucca's house?" Crono interrupted, coming to an abrupt halt and looking suspiciously alarmed.

Marle frowned. "…no."

"Oh." Crono started walking again.

"Am I missing something?" Marle demanded.

"You met Lucca?" Crono said, ignoring the question completely.

Marle paused for a moment, itching to press the answer out of him anyway, but decided to forget about it. "Yes, I stopped for a cup of cider in the Truce pub, and Lucca saw me there."

Praying that the Chancellor wasn't inside, Crono opened the door to the library and led her inside, sitting her down on a heavily cushioned chair in front of the fire. Fortunately, the Chancellor was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, was it nice to see Lucca again?" Crono asked, draping a blanket over her and kneeling next to the chair.

"Yes, but I think we should start visiting her at least once a week," Marle said, grateful for the warmth of the room. "We've been married for five months and we haven't been to see her _once_."

"That sounds like a good idea," Crono said, standing up. He bent over and kissed her forehead. "I've got to go finish up some preparations. I'll see you later."

She smiled after him as he left the room. Despite how annoyed she had been with him for the past couple of weeks, she had realized that day why she loved him so much.

---

The Day of the Entity arrived. The afternoon feast passed without incident, though Marle was uncomfortable with how many side glances she got from the maids in particular, who all seemed to know something that she didn't. When she had leaned over and mentioned her thoughts to Crono, he had shrugged and said "I'm pretty sure the maids _always_ know something that no one else knows." But she was certain she had seen Crono urgently whispering something to Lucca when he thought she wasn't looking.

So it was with a feeling of trepidation and suspicion that Marle readied herself that night for the annual festival at the fairgrounds. Crono was practically bounding with excitement about it. She had a feeling that he was going to have some surprise waiting for her at the festival, but she could not imagine what it would be.

Though the festival was an annual one, she had never attended. Her father had always sent aides to oversee the proceedings, claiming that if Marle went, she might "pick up" strange ideas outside the walls of the castle, so she wasn't sure what to expect.

Though she was unfamiliar with the festival's proceedings, Marle knew she had to wear a dress because she was the princess, but it was so cold outside that she really didn't want to wear one. Finally, she decided to put her favorite white pants on underneath the rather plain, long white dress to stay warm. The fact that making a quick getaway would be made easier by the pants was only an added bonus.

_Well, let's get this over with_, Marle thought wearily. She had already made a resolution to be cheerful that night – if not for herself, then for her husband.

---

The familiar fairground was decorated with strings of small lights in many different colors, trees, garland, and tinsel, much like the castle was. The streams of water coming from the fountain in the center of the main square were frozen. The lights from all around reflected off the streams of ice, creating a dazzling rainbow effect. Merchants surrounded the main square with their tents, where they were selling food, jewelry, or memorabilia from that year's festival. Children raced around the square and played games as their parents flocked around the tents. A group of musicians sat on the stairs leading to Leene's Square and played their instruments, flooding the fairground with cheerful music.

Crono and Marle circled the main square, chatting with the townsfolk, trying the food, even playing a few games with some of the young children. Everyone seemed so happy to be there. As Marle smiled and bowed to the elated villagers, she couldn't help but feel happy herself. Being with friends and loved ones, enjoying the fresh air and smells and sounds of the festival, just being happy to be alive… _that_ was what the Day of the Entity was supposed to be about. It was so much different than the atmosphere in which she had grown up, the one where the meaning of the Day of the Entity was completely lost on strict rules and wealth.

Yet she still wished her mother could be there to enjoy it with her.

Crono smiled at her as they walked past the musicians to Leene's Square. "You look happier than I've seen you in a while."

Marle returned the smile and leaned her head on his shoulder as the walked. "I am. I am so glad that I was able to see how happy everyone is."

"Me too." The couple stopped under Leene's Bell and looked up at it.

"This is where we first met," Crono reminisced. "Literally ran right into each other, didn't we?"

Marle giggled. "And the bell rang as soon as we did. That should have been the sign that we were about to embark on some wild journey… but I never would have guessed that time travel would have been that journey."

The two smiled even more as they stared into each other's eyes. Crono pointed up at the bell. "Looks like someone put some mistletoe right there."

Marle was speechless.

Crono laughed weakly. "I was just kidding."

Marle grinned. "Well, if you were hinting at something…" She reached up and kissed Crono, who returned it gladly. After a moment, he pulled away and grasped her hands again.

"I have something to show you," he said. "Come with me."

She allowed herself to be led along, and was somewhat surprised when Crono led her to the stairs that would take them to the same place where Lucca's infamous Telepod was.

"What-" she began, but Crono shook his head and smiled. When they reached the top of the stairs, Marle gasped.

The Telepod that had frequented the space for so long was gone. In its place was a pedestal of marble upon which was erected a tall, pure white marble statue of a beautiful woman. A small crown made of silver had been placed upon her head of long marble hair. Her hands were clasped in front of her, as if she were in prayer. Every detail of her face and body, down to the designs in her marble dress, were carefully etched into the marble. Surrounding the statue was a large collection of exquisite candles with a sprinkling of flower petals surrounding them.

Marle and Crono stood and stared at the statue and, almost as if it were from a storybook, light snow began to drift.

Marle turned to Crono. "How-"

Crono wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her closer to the monument. "Taban and Lucca made it. I couldn't find the tomb where your mother is buried, and I thought you might want a more visible reminder of your mother… something that would help _everyone_ remember her." He motioned toward the engraving on the marble pedestal. As Marle read it, her eyes filled with tears. She turned and wrapped her arms around Crono in a loving hug. She had finally received the gift that she had wanted all along.

"Thank you… thank you so much," she whispered.

_Aliza, Queen of Guardia  
Though you may not be with us in body,  
You are with us each day,  
As a part of the Entity._

**End**


End file.
